Apricots

 

Apricots

Still hanging on!

Will the apricots survive this year? Usually, most of them drop off before they’re fully ripe. We have a number of fruits this year, but this photograph shows a developing apricot with a small passenger.

I have attempted to identify it, but without success. I wondered if it was an apricot weevil, but it doesn’t seem to have a long ‘nose.’ The nose is called a rostrum. I wonder if orchestra conductors realise they are standing on a nose?

Any entomologists out there?

Best crop

 

Best crop

The promise!

Apricots are my husband’s favourite fruit and years ago, our eldest daughter gave us an apricot tree. Every spring, beautiful blossom appeared and set. Every summer, immature fruits dropped to the ground and the harvest of ripe apricots was between two and three.

Looking promising . . .

This year, when just about every other fruit has failed, apart from raspberries, the apricots have excelled themselves. There were a few early droppers, but we were delighted to be able to pick these.

A very wet spring and early summer and little sun or warmth seem to have suited our apricot tree. It’s not a huge harvest, but it’s so much better than it ever has been.

There were more, but they have been consumed!